Cook Island solidify their chances to finish second in Gibraltar’s group in NWYC2025

The Tercentenary Sports Hall hosted the Malaysia versus Cook Islands NYEC 2025 Group A match on Monday.
Both sides had already opened their accounts with wins against Gibraltar, with the Cook Islands also having lost to New Zealand on Sunday.

A quick-fire start saw the Cook Islands take an immediate 5-0 lead, while Malaysia took some time to open their scoring. Sunday’s efficiency against Gibraltar was dulled by the presence of a physically more aggressive Cook Islands side from the outset.

Malaysia trailed 11-3 midway through the first quarter. Just like Gibraltar, they struggled to contain the Cook Islands shooter. Their pace was slower than the previous day, largely due to being caged in by relentless Cook Islands pressure. The lead continued to grow steadily, reaching 25-12 midway through the second quarter.

Malaysia, though, did not yield to the pressure and began to find a foothold in the game. With greater confidence, they hit back, playing to their strengths and stringing together a run of points to close to 26-15. The Cook Islands were suddenly feeling the brunt of Malaysia’s movement as they found ways around their defence.

But without panicking, and thanks to their comprehensive lead, the Cook Islands managed to steady themselves, matching Malaysia point for point and stemming the initial flow of goals. With five minutes to halftime, they stood at 30-17 and began regaining control, forcing Malaysia into errors and disrupting their passing rhythm.

At halftime, the Cook Islands held a 36-19 advantage—a hard pill for Malaysia to swallow. With Zambia out of the competition, the group was beginning to take shape, with the Cook Islands looking like strong contenders to finish second, both teams having already beaten Gibraltar and only New Zealand left to face.

Malaysia entered the third quarter still intent on reducing the deficit and pushing for a late comeback. Their persistence brought them to 47-34 with five minutes left in the quarter. But a slow final spell in terms of scoring allowed the Cook Islands to reach 50-35 heading into the last break.

Even when trying to maintain a fast pace in possession, Malaysia struggled to cut the gap. At 56-38 with ten minutes left, the Cook Islands were showing no signs of taking anything for granted. Intercepts from the Cook Islands defenders delivered body blows to Malaysia, and the score stood at 60-40 with four minutes to play.

The match finished 66-44 in favour of the Cook Islands. Malaysia, far from their performance the previous day, were left to reflect on a tough encounter against a physically dominant opponent.